For the Bookshelf: User Research

Observing the User Experience: A Practitioner's Guide to User Research, by Mike Kuniavsky

Four and one-half stars out of five on Amazon.com. "You'll like Mike Kuniavsky's broad selection of practical user research methods—presented clearly and usably. And you'll like his timing too: while recent books focus on the whys of user experience, many are now ready for the hows. Observing the User Experience does just that: It demonstrates how to discover what is in users' heads, and suggests how we might balance those considerations with business objectives."

The Persona Lifecycle: Keeping People in Mind Throughout Product Design, by John Pruitt

Four and one-half stars out of five on Amazon.com. "Personas are powerful design tools, which are that much more dangerous if they are grounded in weak methodology. Pruitt and Adlin show you how to do personas right and how to base them on real user data. Follow their advice or risk disaster."

Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior, by Indi Young

Four stars out of five on Amazon.com. "There is no single methodology for creating the perfect product—buy you can increase your odds. One of the best ways is to understand users' reasons for doing things. Mental Models gives you the tools to help you grasp, and design for, those reasons. Adaptive Path co-founder Indi Young has written a roll-up-your-sleeves book for designers, managers, and anyone else interested in making design strategic, and successful."